Trout hits the links, notches hole-in-one
Angels manager impressed by outfielder's athletic ability
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Mike Trout crossed another rare athletic feat off his growing list of lifetime accomplishments, and no one at Angels camp seemed surprised.
The reigning American League MVP was proud to report that he achieved the first hole-in-one of his life on Friday afternoon, when he aced the par-3 second hole at Raven Golf Club in Phoenix, putting the ball in the cup from 127 yards away with a 56-degree wedge.
Naturally, the first question posed to Angels manager Mike Scioscia in reaction to this occurrence: What can't' this guy do? Consensus seemed to agree a hole-in-one was bound to happen sooner or later for Trout, who says he has a 6 handicap
"I don't know, man," Scioscia said. "He's dunked a basketball, got a hole-in-one, he can probably run a pretty good stop-and-go as a wideout or a tight end, but we're happy he's playing center field for us."
Typical hole-in-one etiquette says that the player who puts the "1" on the scorecard has to buy drinks for everyone in the clubhouse.
"We missed the round of drinks, but he's going to buy a couple of lunches for us," Scioscia said, adding that Trout would provide In-N-Out Burger and Dominican food.
Scioscia was then asked if he's ever had a hole-in-one, and he shook his head and laughed.
"I don't even think in miniature golf I have a hole-in-one," Scioscia said. "I rattle around that windmill."
Tigers starter Justin Verlander poked some fun at Trout on Twitter on Saturday night, wanting to see some documentation of his nice shot.
Video or it didn't happen. @mlb @MikeTrout ������ https://t.co/h5pa1ogqwY
— Justin Verlander (@JustinVerlander) March 12, 2017
Worth noting
•Scioscia said first baseman Luis Valbuena, who has been out since March 2 with sore legs, would run the bases Monday and be ready to get back into a game "Tuesday or Wednesday."
Scioscia also did not express concern that Valbuena was too far behind in conditioning and at-bats for it to become an issue as Opening Day gets closer.
"He's been doing defense," Scioscia said. "He's fine. He's had 13 at-bats. He should have no problem getting into that 50-60 range. We've got 22 games left."
•Reliever Kirby Yates has looked good in four appearances, pitching four shutout innings and giving up only one hit, while striking out six and not issuing a walk. He has been out with a stiff neck, but Yates expects to pitch Monday.
"He's got a real sneaky, live fastball," Scioscia said. "He mixes in breaking pitches that he throws over the plate. He's still obviously got to win a spot in our bullpen, and he's shown well so far."
• Starter Tyler Skaggs, who missed his last scheduled start because of shoulder weakness, threw a bullpen session on Saturday, and came out of it well, according to team officials. Scioscia expects Skaggs to pitch sometime next week.
• Third baseman Yunel Escobar was back in camp Saturday after a day in Miami, where he was officially sworn in as a United States citizen. Scioscia said Escobar would be back in the lineup Sunday.
• Utility infielder Cliff Pennington (shoulder stiffness) "feels much better," according to Scioscia, and should be ready to play again in "a couple more days."
Doug Miller is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @DougMillerMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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